Hotel rooms are typically supplied with various cosmetic products such as body lotions, soaps, shampoos, etc. The cosmetics are typically packaged within individual containers that are provided as a complimentary item by the hotel proprietor. For sanitary reasons the containers must be discarded when the seal is broken, even if a bottle still contains lotion, shampoo, etc. The hotel supplies a new set of cosmetic bottles after each room occupancy.
The discarded unused cosmetic products represents a waste that increases the cost of operating the hotel. Additionally, the separate bottles increase the cost of maintaining the rooms and the waste storage space in general.
There has been marketed soap dispensers that are mounted to the wall of hotel rooms. The dispensers typically have a pump which ejects a volume of cosmetic product when a pump tip is depressed by the hotel patron. The dispenser is replenished by removing a cover and pouring the cosmetic product into a dispenser reservoir. Removing the cover and pouring the cosmetics can be a time consuming operation, particularly when repeated in a number of rooms within a hotel. The additional time required to fill the dispensers increase labor cost and the operating expense of the hotel. Additionally, the dispensers tips tend to accumulate dirt which must be cleaned by the hotel personnel, further increasing the operating expense.
Other types of prior art cosmetics dispensers include disposable containers which overcome at least some of the shortcomings of the aforementioned reservoir dispensers.
Generally speaking disposable container dispensers fall into two categories a rigid or semi rigid container connected to a separate pump mechanism and a flexible container having a flexible neck which forms part of the dispenser pump mechanism.
Typical prior art cosmetics dispensers are disclosed in patent specifications GB 1434095, U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,186, U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,192, U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,083, AU-A-81740/91, U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,085, U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,349 and DE 3333569 A1.
GB 1434095 describes a cream soap dispenser with a hollow body which receives an inverted container having a screw threaded neck which is received in a screw threaded socket in the base of the housing. A displaceable plug is located in the neck of the container and is displaced by a spike when the container is screwed into the socket thereby allowing liquid soap to flow into an internal soap chamber in the base of the housing. The soap chamber is in fluid communication with a lever actuated piston pump and nozzle assembly formed integrally with the housing. The pump and nozzle have separate check valves for filling the pump cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,186 describes a portable hand held dispenser for one handed dispensing of controlled quantities of a concentrated liquid detergent into a container of water to produce a diluted cleaning liquid of predetermined strength. This apparatus comprises a body with a rack and pinion operated piston pump and a removable cartridge having a flexible pouch therein to contain concentrated detergent. The body has a hollow needle connected to the pump to pierce a membrane in an output nozzle of the cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,192 is concerned with a soap dispenser having a wall mounted bracket with a lever and piston device to actuate a flexible dispensing nozzle. The dispensing nozzle is connected to a tank which may be filled directly with liquid soap or the tank may receive a disposable cartridge. A plurality of ribs with cutting edges extend upwardly from the base to pierce a sealed cap on the cartridge as it is inserted to release liquid soap into the tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,083 discloses a liquid dispensing system having a housing which supports therein a disposable flexible pouch. A pivoted actuating arm compresses a flexible peristaltic pumping tube formed integrally with the pouch. A mechanical check valve arrangement coacts with the actuating arm to open a flat or "duck bill" nozzle at the end of the tube and thereafter to create a suck back to prevent drips.
AU-A-81740/91 describes a similar system to that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,083 except that the flexible peristaltic tube pump is formed as an attachment to the flexible pouch. A mechanical check valve is provided in the tip of the pump nozzle to avoid drainage of the pouch contents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,085 is directed to a peristaltic dispensing nozzle connected to an exposed rigid or semi-rigid bottle supported on top of a dispenser housing. The dispensing nozzle is screw threadably connected to a threaded neck of the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 432,439 describes a liquid dispenser supported in an inverted position by a screw threaded connection between the neck of a flexible bottle and a socket in the top of a support base. An air chamber is formed between a dispensing nozzle and the interior of the bottle to avoid leakage after dispensing a quantity of liquid by manually squeezing the flexible bottle.
DE 3333569 A1 discloses a liquid dispenser having a flexible bottle squeezable between a projection on an actuator and a projection on the interior wall of the dispenser housing. A two way check valve system permits dispensing of liquid under actuator pressure by a first check valve. A second check valve located within the first check valve permits ingress of air to equalise pressures and both the first and second check valves prevent leakage under gravitational pressure.
While most of the prior art systems are generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, they all suffer from one or more disadvantages.
It would be desirable to provide a cosmetic dispenser which is more cost efficient and sanitary than dispensers of the prior art and which is otherwise easier to refill and simpler and more reliable in use.